Adventurer Bruce Parry is set to return to BBC Two in one of two new programmes commissioned from independents for BBC Cymru Wales.
Arctic will see Bruce doing what he does best – engaging with the indigenous people of the region and those who live and work the land, while raising some serious questions about the way we view different sides of the environmental argument.
Cardiff-based Indus, who made Parry’s BAFTA award-winning Amazon for BBC Wales, will produce the five x 60-minute programmes, commissioned by Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s Commissioning Editor, Documentaries.
Filming is scheduled to begin in April.
Nick Shearman, the BBC’s Knowledge Commissioning Executive in Wales, is executive producer for Arctic and a second BBC Two commission, Wild Wales, commissioned by Kim Shillinglaw, Commissioning Editor for Science and Natural History.
The three x 60-minute series, a stunning visual treat celebrating the beauty of the Welsh landscape and its wildlife, will be presented by authoritative wildlife enthusiast and passionate bird lover Iolo Williams. Though well known for his wildlife series in Wales, this is the first time Iolo, a former RSPB species officer-turned-presenter, has been seen on network for 10 years.
Wild Wales is produced by John Gwyn for Cardiff-based Aden Productions.
Both Arctic and Wild Wales will be filmed in HD.
Nick Shearman said: “These two very different commissions once again demonstrate Wales’ depth in factual programming.
“Arctic is a really exciting departure for Bruce, dealing with an area of the world that is highly important both in environmental terms and in terms of world resources and politics. At its heart this is an adventure series but all the issues are there. Bruce will experience first-hand the threat indigenous people face from superpowers trying to grab their territory, as well as exploring the global importance of the polar region.
“And Wild Wales will be a beautiful look at some of the unspoilt areas of the country – broadly across the north, mid and south of Wales – in the company of an immensely passionate and knowledgeable wildlife presenter, Iolo Williams.”
Throughout 2010 the BBC is celebrating its ongoing commitment to science, bringing together a wealth of TV and radio science programmes, online initiatives, regional roadshows and learning campaigns to inspire a love of science across the nation.
As the Royal Society celebrates its 350th anniversary year, the BBC will be broadcasting a range of landmark TV and radio series in the heart of the schedule that will explore contemporary science subjects, whilst also delving into the history of a subject that has shaped the world in which we live.
Television highlights include: landmark series The Story Of Science (BBC Two), an epic exploration of hundreds of years of scientific developments presented by Michael Mosley; Seven Wonders Of The Solar System (BBC Two), a spectacular and engaging journey around the universe led by Professor Brian Cox; and Beautiful Minds (BBC Four), which meets science’s leading minds to find out the story behind their great discoveries. And, in Spring, Bang Goes The Theory, the popular science show on BBC One, returns.
